Statement on the Fair Use of Images for Teaching, Research, and Study (2011)
By the Visual Resources Association
Fair Use in the Visual Arts: Lesson Plans for Librarians (2015)
Edited by Alexander Watkins, Bridget Madden, Alexandra Provo, Danielle Reay, and Anna Simon
"Artists Rights Society (ARS) is the preeminent copyright, licensing, and monitoring organization for visual artists in the United States. Founded in 1987, ARS represents the intellectual property rights interests of over 50,000 visual artists and estates of visual artists from around the world (painters, sculptors, photographers, architects and others)."
Code of best practices in fair use for the visual arts [electronic resource] / College Art Association of America ; lead principal investigators, Patricia Aufderheide, Peter Jaszi
Is It Ours? : Art, Copyright, and Public Interest by Many artists use images created by other artists as elements of their work. You may also want to use an image while making a point in a paper or to put on your website. It is important to give credt and to be aware of the laws governing image rights. Here are some resources on copyright basics and some that may help you figure out whether you can use an image or not:
Copyright Basics for Artists This is the Artists' Rights Society's basic explanation of some elements of copyright--what it is, how long it lasts, etc
Explanation of Fair Use What is fair use? It's a confusing concept, but it means that there are exceptions to the rule that you must always have permission from the creator before you can use their work. If you are using it for purposes such as criticism, commentary, or scholarship, it may be okay--but there are exceptions, so reading this is a good idea.
VRA Intellectural Properties Resources Links to resources providing guidance on Academic Use of Images
Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States (Last updated March 2021), by Cornell University Library
Copyright Basics from the United States Copyright Office This is a 12 page PDF document with an overview of what copyright is and how to obtain copyrights for your own work.
Compendium of U.S. Copyright Practices, Chapter 900: Visual Art Works This chapter of the Compendium covers issues related to the examination and registration of visual arts works.
Blog entry on Copyright from the Library of Congress by Holland Gormley. "What I wish they taught me about copyright in art school."
The Center for Media and Social Impact, CMSI, in the School of Communication with the American University in Washington, D.C. Documentary Filmmakers' Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use.
Please read Circular 21:
Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians.
Pages 6-8 deal specifically with the parameters for making and using copies, print and digital, of licensed work.
Published by the United States Copyright Office.
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Use this Fair Use Checklist, developed by Kenneth D. Crews and Dwayne K. Buttler, to determine if your use falls under Fair Use.